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Event Coverage With a 70 years old car in a thunderstorm

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Surfcityrocker, Jul 27, 2021.

  1. Yesterday I had one of the scariest rides in my lifetime.
    Went for a ride in my 50 merc in the evening. There was a thunderstorm forecast but I thought I would easily be back before it starts. Unfortunetaly I was not and It caught me about 15 miles from home. It was raining so much that within minutes the fields and the streets turned into lakes. There was no way to stop without risking that some other car would rear-end me so I rode on. As the Merc is quite low it felt like the car was swimming like a boat (which it probably really was).
    When going down a hill I enjoyed the advantages of bias plys as the car turned unsteerable and I still don't now how I made the curve at the end of the hill.
    The wipers were completely unable to cope with that much water and the interior became so damp that I had the open the side window to see where the road was.
    The ride ended in a village about 5 miles from me where I was literally caught between two floodings of the road behind and in front of me which were about 15 inches deep.
    At least there was a supermarket which was not flooded, so I parked the car there and called my wife to pick me up.
    I keep my fingers crossed that the car will start today in the morning.
    That rain would have been scary in a new car let alone in a 70 years old Merc. I still wonder how I made it through this without damages. Sorry, no photos, I was too busy not to crash or drown.
    Never take such weather forecast lightly!
     
  2. Ain't old cars fun! HRP
     
  3. Johnny Gee
    Joined: Dec 3, 2009
    Posts: 12,603

    Johnny Gee
    Member
    from Downey, Ca

    I forecast that you’ll never do that again.
     
  4. Wow! I got caught in a similar situation in my 56 one time on a trip to St. Louis. Glad you made it through!
     

  5. lake_harley
    Joined: Jun 4, 2017
    Posts: 2,160

    lake_harley
    Member

    I posted a similar experience that I had Sunday in my T roadster, but the downpour didn't reach the extremes that you described. Whether a T roadster, 50 Merc, or a newer car, sometime you're just glad to have made it somewhere safely!

    On a positive note, getting caught in a downpour in my T, it finally got a good cleaning which I did when I got it in my shop.

    Glad your experience didn't have a bad outcome!

    Lynn
     
  6. jetnow1
    Joined: Jan 30, 2008
    Posts: 2,152

    jetnow1
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from CT
    1. A-D Truckers

    Bet your wife was real happy to have to come get you. Glad both you and the car made it ok.
     
  7. Hope you were wearing your Speedos and combat boots!:eek:
     
  8. Ah, the benefits of bias ply tires.

    Look great but perform like shit.
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  9. Tow Truck Tom
    Joined: Jul 3, 2018
    Posts: 1,879

    Tow Truck Tom
    Member
    from Clayton DE

    I have driven in most snow storms, every time. no troubles. Rain is a different story. Rain has ruined me, many times. Glad you are safe. Hoping the Merc rides again.
    Do you have access to RainX? Coating the outer glass gives visibility even when wipers don't.
    Back in '58 dad fit a small rubber bladed fan onto the center dashboard of our '53 Ford 2 door. It made the rainy trips much safer. Bitte
     
  10. Petejoe
    Joined: Nov 27, 2002
    Posts: 12,264

    Petejoe
    Member
    from Zoar, Ohio

    Glad you made it safely.
    Was driving back to Ohio from Pa in the 37 coupe one evening. Hit a hard driving rain the whole way.
    The lack of a good view was the scariest. The original headlights and condensation inside made it impossible to have a good view. Had to open up the side windows just for ventilation.
    the crank out windshield seal leaks alittle during that type of rain. My wife stood by wiping down the windshield and the floor. And of course the bias plys weren’t any help. I’d hate giving up the original lenses on this car. They make the look. The dash windshield vents are worthless without a fan.
     
    williebill likes this.
  11. Sounds like the down pour we had to drive through coming back from the Leadsled Spectacular last Sunday. Hard rain like that is no fun to drive in, that's for sure!
    Glad you and the Merc made it to safety @Surfcityrocker! E
     
    Surfcityrocker and guthriesmith like this.
  12. Michael Ottavi
    Joined: Dec 3, 2008
    Posts: 266

    Michael Ottavi
    Member

    I have been caught many times in the rain here in the Catskill mountains as it a temperate rainforest, honest! But the worst was in my modified on the N Y State Thruway. Even with no top, you still couldn't see a thing. I just hugged the tail of an 18 wheeler's trailer and hoped for the best. It was the scariest ride I ever had!
     
  13. I got caught in a sudden t-storm a few years back with the '59... the hood was off. I had just installed an electric fan and was going for a ride. I was 5 minutes from home, still no picnic. I have new electric wipers, but could see better without them.
     
  14. didnt they have thunderstorms 70 years ago?.........
     
  15. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,074

    spanners
    Member

    At least you didn't have to worry about the engine control module getting wet.
     
  16. Update: tried to start the car today but the battery was empty, I guess there was a short somewhere because of the water. Took the battery out and loaded it at home for some hours, went back and it started.
    At home it won't start again, the loading time was too short. While I am loading the battery now the next thunderstorm is approaching and I don't think I can load the battery in time to restart and drive the car in the garage ( the garage approach is a bit steep so no way of pushing the car in the garage.)
    Alas, the next big shower for the car is imminent.

    This time I have a pic (some minutes ago, 3 p.m.)
    IMG_20210728_145756225_HDR.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2021
    Hnstray and Fordors like this.
  17. And I bet they found themselves in the same situation like myself yesterday, with 6V lights, bias plys and shitty wipers.
     
    rod1, OG lil E and 65pacecar like this.
  18. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,217

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    60 years ago in 70 year old cars , we generally pulled over ...waited it out
     
    jimmy six likes this.
  19. nrgwizard
    Joined: Aug 18, 2006
    Posts: 2,516

    nrgwizard
    Member
    from Minn. uSA

    2O2F is correct. There is a reason I will not use certain things from back then.
    CSR: glad you're ok, n car too.
    Marcus...
     
  20. choptop40
    Joined: Dec 23, 2009
    Posts: 5,114

    choptop40
    Member

    got flooded 4 times in 3 years in Houston....made it out alive..some not so lucky...rain x helps however not in those downpours...i try to get under an underpass and wait it out....
     
  21. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,295

    jnaki





    Hello,

    My 1940 Ford Flathead powered sedan delivery in high school was only 21 years old at the time. It was in great condition, but it did have its faults and various leaks and creaks. But, as a teenager, it started, got me to the long road trips to various surf spots in So Cal, and made a big hit in the high school parking scene in front of the high school.

    It rained plenty in So Cal during those teenage years. Our Long Beach neighborhood was near the Los Angeles River and when it rained for several days, let alone a week, the L.A. River got filled to the brim heading out to the ocean at the LB Harbor near the Pike. (Now, where the rusty Queen Mary/Russian submarine sits)

    But, if the L.A. River gets close to the top of the walking/biking trail, the local streets on either side of the river back up and get flooded. The worst was when there was only about two feet left of the rugged sloping sides of the riverbanks, before going over the top.

    Here is a photo from the LB Press Telegram that just happened to show the corner of Caspian Ave and Coast Highway 101. The photo location just a couple of blocks down that street is where we used to live on Caspian. The LA River flood control channel water rises and sometimes blocks the drain pipes (from the neighborhoods) going out to the ocean
    upload_2021-7-31_4-12-32.png

    Jnaki


    The high schools never closed due to rain or flooding. So, we had to slog through our own neighborhood streets to get to PCH, just so we could get to our school, several miles away. The 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery slogged through some deep intersection dips and the cars looked like a bunch of boats moving on the surface of the LB Harbor waters.
    upload_2021-7-31_4-14-34.png
    One girl that I knew said she saw it plowing the water with the brakes on, down the street near the high school and thought it was a red submarine with the red nose leading the way! What an imagination…


    When the LB Freeway was opened, it was well designed with plenty of drains, but those torrential rains and stuff floating down into them clogged up the flow to the LA River. So, even the freeway was closed at certain spots.
    upload_2021-7-31_4-14-56.png
    710 Long Beach Freeway at PCH just 4 blocks to our house. PCH Eastward was the main road to get to our high school, through thick and thin…as well as deep muddy waters.

    REMEMBER: “WATER ALWAYS WINS…” YRMV


    Note: Before the construction of the flood control walls to keep the LA River in check all of the time, and way before the homes developed on either side of the LA River, the history is interesting. The area adjoining the LA River was called an "Alluvial Flood Plain." As the rushing waters of the river flows out to the Pacific Ocean, it gathers top soil from the areas back along the river, even as far back as in the western areas of the Los Angeles City proper.

    As it flowed unencumbered toward the ocean, it left plenty of good soil all over the whole area. The spread looked like a fan design, hence the name Alluvial Fan. By the time our homes were built and the flood control channel was designed, the properties had this outstanding soil in their yards. My mom's garden was a miracle. Throw out some seeds and in a week, even without constant care, a plant grows. Put in a small gallon size plant and within a week or so, it is taller than the fence height.

    It was a good place, but if the flood control channel were not developed from Los Angeles all the way to the ocean, our house location would have been a forest, not a tract home from the 40s.

    Again, I learned that "water always wins..." even in history books.
     
    Surfcityrocker and thehazguy like this.

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